The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-05-18
AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR.
How Two Actors Met by Chance.
from the Chicago News.)

(erOfO lne SlIceSO New 81
Gus Mortimer, the manager of Louis
James, who is lately from New Orleans.
says that the Southern people are In
tensely disguised with the recent utter.
ances of JEFF Davis. Beauregard was
and is still a great favorite with the
Southerners, and they resent any slight
upon him. Mortimer who was IN the
Confederate army and in Beauregard'
command, says that he was the most
popular rebel officer, although he was sn
extra strict disciplinarian. During the
first winter of the war Beauregard com.
manded the armies of Virginia, and the
weather was intensely cold. The men
were volunteers OF course, and entirely
unused to the hardships of war, and they
fell sick in great numbers, and, what
was worse, became dull and displrited.
Profting by the example of the first
Napoleon, Beauregard hit upon the plan
of establishing theatre in the camp fo1
the amusement of the troops. Mortimer
was selected to organize the company
and the work of erecting the theatre was
begun. The man who was entrusted
with the funds necessary to engage the
company skipped South and deserted
with the money, and the movement OF
the Federal army broke up all the plans.
During the war, Mortimer says, the
theatres in the South coined money:
The horrors of the siege were mltigated
and sometimes added to by dramatic per-
formances, and when an army entered a
town the first thing it did was to organ
ize company and play IN the theatre.
Some of the armies contained enough
soldier-actors for very fair sized COM
pany, and in some cases plays were re-
hearsed ahead, but oftener still the com,
pany was non-miitary and belonged to
the theatre or travelled about seeking to
play in some town occupied by troops.
The prices charged were 80 cents tol
privates and 81 for officers and the
houses were universally packed. The
audiences we're enthusiastic and general
ly IN the very best of humor, SO much SC
as to make it rather difficult to play
Mortimer was paroled, and played Oft ar
on for a year or two with all sorts o:
picked up companies-half professional
half amateur, and all sorts of sectional
ism and politics. Once at Corinth he
played "Richard III" in linen duster
but the audience didn't seem to minc
the discrepancy bit, and insisted OF
his coming forward in the tent scene anc
singing the "Star Spangled Banner" anc
SIN the Prison Cell l Sit" On the
night Of the second days battle of the
Wilderness Mortimer was on plcke
duty. He had not eaten a morsel tol
over thirty-six hours, and he was nearly
dead with hunger, and very faint, having
but recently come IRON the hospital. i
mad been the wont OF the soldiers to sup
ply the place OF food with copious chew:
OF plug tobacco, and Mortimer's pocket:
We're full of the weed, but the doctor hae
forbidden him using it. He was stand
ing by tree, faint and despairing, anc
in the agony of his situation exclaimed
aloud:
sI'd give the biggist plug OF tobacco
in the world for piece OF hard-tacS.
sI'll take you at your word, Johnny
Reb,' exclaimed hearty voice, and be
fore Mortimer could bring his gun to hi:
shoulder form sprang out OF the dusE
and q stalwart zouave stood before him
Give been watching you for some
time" continued the Northern man
'and thought you saw me and was get
ting ready to poi NE till 1 heard yor
speak" The zouave had unslung hi:
knapsack and displayed before the fam
ished rebel what seemed to him a ban
quet. ':And now, young fellow, ht
said, ''if you'll give me a plug OF tobacco
you can have all the hafd-tack your jaw
can crack. Fork over" Such exchange
were common, and Mortimer clutchee
the food and passed over plug OF Flr
ginia tobacco, which was as eager! y re
ceived by the zoua1e. They talked {
moment or two, and then, realizing thel
danger, prepared to part. Mortimer IN
cidentaIy told his companion his nam'
and calling. The other was surprised
and said he was an actor, too.
ssYOu are?" asked Mortimer, delight